Star Wars 3.75" Legacy Collection: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ep IV)

This is the story of how Obi-Wan Kenobi became my favorite Star Wars character...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Ok, so maybe not that long ago, and not very far away at all, I was young, and I liked Luke Skywalker.  Who didn't?  After all, he was the saga's protagonist and the "boy done good," who comes into his own, confronts his fears, and in the process saves his father and the known galaxy.

But then came the Prequel Trilogy, which was to shed some light on the past and in particular, one young Obi-Wan Kenobi as he came into his own.  We all cheered when he cut down Darth Maul but by the time the second movie was done, the only thing I could think of was why the hell would any Jedi think wearing a mullet and a trimmed beard would look cool? It didn't help that young Anakin was annoying and Obi-Wan couldn't stop sounding like he was annoyed with him.  And how the heck was he defeated by an old human Sith Lord when he'd previously sliced up perhaps the fiercest villain in the Prequels (Maul)?

Ok I admit, I had a soft spot for him going into the movies because Obi-Wan was played by a dude named Ewan McGregor.   And by having the same name, I felt compelled, probably by the Force, to like him as a character. I sure didn't.  I liked none of them because they were all one (or less) dimensional.  But I did like the Original Trilogy Obi-Wan.  He was everything the old and supposedly wise Jedi in the prequels weren't.  Patient, using his power only when absolutely necessary, accepting of his fate and of course, heroic. Everything a favorite character should be. :)

So that's how I came to think of old Obi-Wan as the guy I wouldn't mind being in the Original Trilogy.  Except I'd try harder to kick Vader's ass.  Except I'd run when I realized I was defeated, only to come back for a rematch.  Except I'd take out the Death Star instead of just bringing down its shields.  Except I'd show that cocky Han Solo guy I can pilot his piece of junk spaceship. Yeah, I'd be more "excepting" of my power than "accepting" of my fate. Har.

Thus, I've had this figure in packaging since I got him when he was first released and the Rangelord, who is my advisor in all things from the galaxy far, far away, said that this was the ultimate Obi-Wan.  Those word were never spoken more true. So click on for the details!

Star Wars 3.75" Legacy Collection: Boba Fett

When I was a kid, there were only good guys and bad guys.  And Boba Fett was a bad guy, dangerous and mysterious.  That's all I knew about him because I was too young to know what Bounty Hunter was.  I already had too much evil to handle in the Star Wars universe with Vader and the Emperor running around Force choking/"lightening" guys to kingdom come.

Looking back, Boba Fett's helmet was what intrigued me the most.  It wasn't as scary as Vader's but it was equally, if not more, mysterious, hiding the character's face and the whole history of how he came to be along with it.  The fact that he was always silent deepened the sense of mystery.

I'll always remember the nod he afforded Boushh in Return of the Jedi after the latter activated "his" thermal detonator while in negotiations with Jabba the Hutt.  One nod, just to say, "I like your style."

One nod that revealed so much about Fett to the audience.  One deadly nod to say, "Let's see if you're as deadly as you claim to be, if you are who you say you are."

Well, this figure is able to recreate that mysterious deadliness with its design.  But that's never been a problem with the vast majority of Star Wars figures--they've got the character's appearance down pat.  What this figure can do is move and pose like the classic Boba Fett.  And as an added bonus, we get to see what he looks like under the helmet!!!

Short Circuit: R2-D2 (Legacy Collection)

Who's remembers Johnny?  Who's Johnny, you said?  Well, I'm glad you asked...Go ahead, watch it to the end, I dare you... ;P

(Ok, till I figure it out you might have to click on "Read More" to go to the review proper and access the clip that's supposed to be right here--apologies!

P.s-please do it!  Otherwise the rest of this intro won't make sense. Lol. :P)



And the next question for those who still haven't a clue who Johnny is: what the heck did you jst waste 4 mins of your life on?

Answer: That's the music video of the then cult hit movie "Short Circuit" starring Steve Guttenburg (of the Police Academy series fame) and Ally Sheedy (of St Elmo's Fire fame)

Ah, that brings back memories...and images of everything traumatically uncool about the 80s.  Here's of list of all the things that would be considered simply wrong today, and all in just this one single music video:

1. El Debarge-the freaky singer with the pervy looking smile.
2. Debarge's eighties hair.
3. His pencil thin moustache.
4. His oversized pinstripe suit.
5. Freaky courtroom scene that would make no sense to those who've never watched the movie..
6. Cardboard cut out of Steve Guttenburg, in black and white nonetheless...
7. Freaky-looking female lawyer.
8. VHS & VHS player
9. Crazy jury...oh wait, these still exist today...
10. Unintelligible lyrics which wouldn't make sense even if you knew what they were.
11. Passing off of a robot hand for a hiding robot (Johnny 5) as a movie special effect.
12. Crazy voice modulation being passed off as singing...
13. Courtroom dancing
14. Exploding judges
15. Firemen who put out exploding judges (judges who are not on fire, but just charred and smoking)
16. That strange piece of lack carboard at the end...wth???

So what the hell has all that have to do with this review?  Well, R2-D2 is a robot (ok a droid, but it's the same thing...right? :P) and this particular figure can, well, short circuit.

Yeah see, you didn't even have to read all the jibber-jabber up top to read this review on Star Wars Legacy Collection R2-D2 (with short circuit effect).  But didn't watching the music video just make you feel like you could break the law and get away with it?  It was wild, wasn't it? Yep, that's what we 80s kids used to do for fun...that and play with our toys, of course!

All right, no more vicarious law-breaking.  On to the review!

Luke Skywalker: The Perfect Jedi

I know many would beg to differ.  But then they've probably never laid hands on Legacy Collection Batlle Packs: Battle for Endor Luke Skywalker before!

Why is he perfect?  Well, he captures more than one look of Luke in the Return of the Jedi.  Need him to rescue Han, Chewie, R2 and 3PO from Jabba's Palace?  Well, he's the man.  Need someone to hop on a speeder bike, chase down some Scout Troopers and take 'em out?  He's there again. Need someone to surrender himself to Vader and then persuade ol' Pops to take down the Emperor?  You guessed it, he's your Jedi.

I'd also like to add before I jump into the review that I'm not reviewing the Ewok with glider and the Imperial Officer that comes with this set for good reason:  I won Luke loose on Ebay for about US$4.25 but lost out on the Ewok, which went for crazy money anyway.  I did win the lil' furball's glider, though he cost about twice what I paid for Luke.

Well anyhow, the sets now on clearance at most major department stores here in Singapore for S$29.90, meaning it comes to slightly less than S$10 or US$7.15 per figure in the set.  Neat, huh?  I might just get myself a set for completion's sake.  Then if I do get my hands on a Princess Leia, I could also deck her out in Luke's gear!  What grand plans I always seem to have...

Oh, and one more thing: I'm doing this review because the Rangerlord made me realize that I hadn't done a non-superhero review in a while--and he's right!  So this one's for you, bro. ;)

Enough babbling and dithering on my part.  On to the review!